Get on Board for the POWER Act!
We need your action now! Please support the Illinois’ POWER Act (SB4103/HB5513), protecting our water, energy, and ratepayers from data center impacts. Data centers are attempting to pop up in all sorts of places across the HOI Group area and our state. The POWER Act will be the first ever Illinois regulations to provide public and environmental protections from the huge problems data centers can cause with their high energy needs, large amounts of water used, noise, air pollution and many other concerns.
Local Wind Energy Will Help All in Peoria County
No utility scale wind farms exist in Peoria County. Please consider that wind farms provide a large amount of electric power with minimal impacts compared to coal-fired, nuclear, or even methane (natural) gas plants.
No Eminent Domain for CO2 Pipelines Legislation Needs to Pass by End of May
The Illinois moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines ends July 1st. That could mean many new applications for CO2 pipeline approvals. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is our state permitting agency for pipelines and they have the power to approve eminent domain.
April Is Earth Month!
No matter how overwhelming the news is, we can be happy we live in Illinois. Even a short walk outside will help you feel the season is changing and you may see something that gives you joy along your way. Many environmentally minded folks like yourself, will help pass new legislation to move our state forward in protecting the critters of all sizes that we love, and the land, and water.
Illinois Implements State-Level Environmental Protections to Fill Gaps in Federal Rollbacks
The federal government is retrenching from science-based wetland protection following the flawed 2023 Sackett v EPA decision, but states, including Illinois, are stepping forward with protections of their own based on scientific facts, research, and democratic values.
| HOI Group Meetings and Events |
Adventures in the Sierras » |
In-Person & Virtual |
Former Bradley University professor, photographer, videographer, and long-time Sierra Club member Howard Goldbaum lives in Reno Nevada where he serves on the Executive Committee of the Great Basin Group of the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club. He will talk about scenic and historic locations in Nevada, in the Sierras, and in the desert landscapes to the east, while highlighting environmental issues of concern to the Sierra Club in this region. This program will be streamed live from Reno, Nevada. You can join virtually from home or join us in person for the meeting and presentation at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Peoria. Please register to receive the Zoom link for this presentation. |
Patagonia and the Yelcho River » |
Wed, May 20, 6:30pm |
| Sierra Club member and fly fisherman, Craig Mitchell, will take us on a trip to the Patagonia Region of Chile where he spends several months each year in a cabin on the famous Yelcho River. |
Wisdom of the Marsh » |
Wed, June 10, 7pm |
| Former Peoria Journal Star reporter Clare Howard will talk about her new book, Wisdom of the Marsh, which takes an in-depth look at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in New York State through the overlapping lens of environmental and social justice. Exploring the history of the land and its relationship with the people who inhabited it, writer Clare Howard and photographer David Zalaznik present a complete portrait of the marsh’s exploitation and restoration, providing a hopeful perspective through which to view our future. |